Conventional cleaning and painting robots are ground based or require a form of restraint to move along side a vertical surface. Most conventional robots use ropes or mechanical arms to keep them in a vertical-working plane. They are limited to the ability to suspend ropes from a high point and/or the length of the mechanical arm. The Airborne Cleaning and Painting Robot does not have the above limitations for its operation, the onboard sensors allow the robot to fly safely at altitude well above the tallest skyscraper. With its wide range of sensors, the robot can move on vertical or horizontal surfaces such as building""s windows or high ceilings. It is a well-proven design that was the subject of my Master""s thesis, xe2x80x9cConceptual design of a Cleaning Robotxe2x80x9d, The George Washington University, 1999.
The Airborne Cleaning and Painting Robot is a safe solution for performing dangerous tasks such as cleaning exterior windows of high-rise buildings and high ceilings. The robot can also apply paint on tall walls and high ceilings. The main advantage of the robot over existing design is its ability to fly as high as needed which means it can access most work area to perform its tasks.
The flying part of the robot is feed with pressurized water or paint from a ground-moving base (FIG. 1).
The design of the flying unit is based on helicopter theory. The flying robot has two counter-rotating rotors that provide the necessary thrust for lifting. After the robot has reached the vertical working area, it hovers and the back propeller pushes it against the vertical wall or window. For horizontal work area, the thrust of the main rotors is increased from a hovering state to keep the top wheels on the horizontal surface.
Once the flying unit has reached the vertical work area, the back propeller exerts a force large enough (FIG. 4) to keep it on the vertical surface. The flying unit uses then its front wheels to drive on the surface. In the case where work has to be performed on a ceiling, the fourth wheel is used (FIG. 2) and the cleaning or painting head can be rotated at 90 degrees. For sloped work area, the painting or cleaning mechanism is tilted to accommodate for the slope (FIG. 3). The motion of the flying unit is programmed and controlled from the ground unit.
The ground unit is the xe2x80x9cmother vehiclexe2x80x9d of the robot assembly. It holds a programmable controller and the cleaning solution or paint. A pump pressurizes the liquid and delivers it to the flying unit from the feeding tube (FIG. 5.).